With a stream bed simulator, built by MLB Industrial Service GmbH from Bobingen the Federal Institute for Hydraulic Engineering researches e.g. the effect of waves, above and below the surface of the water, on shoreline stabilization.
The connections and effects of currents and waves on the shores of rivers and the bed have not been fully researched yet. Therefore, the Federal Institute for Hydraulic Engineering commissioned its own testing facilities. Despite its dimensions of 14 meters in length, about 3 meters in width and 21 tons in weight, the new stream bed simulator had to be neatly planned and implemented with an eye for the smallest details. The “river course” in the facility must be, if possible, 100% in water to allow for measurement accuracy to scale. The technical specification was 0.2 mm deviation over 13.7 m length. Another challenge was the required extremely high stability. The tank containing the simulated river course should, under load, only stretch to a maximum of 0.03%. The resourceful engineers at gec-co Global Engineering & Consulting-Company GmbH, a partner of MLB for construction and planning, had to apply a lot of material to achieve the required stability – to the disadvantage of the weight.
Researching the effect of waves and currents in river courses has a major impact on the planning and construction of waterways. Ultimately, it helps making shorelines and beds more stable or minimizing the use of dredgers through skillful current guidance. The new facility helps the Federal Institute for Hydraulic Engineering to flexibly and reliably set up a wide variety of testing scenarios and simulations, to test them extensively and gain new insights. Also, the dynamics of ships and the “waves” they produce can be researched here.
However, the system posed a challenge to the interaction of a wide variety of trades and specialists. Pipeline construction, steel construction, pump systems, fluid mechanics, tank construction as well as milling and turning technology – to name just a few – had to work together perfectly to create such a masterpiece in just one year. It is a pity that this facility will probably be a unicum; The construction is proprietary to the Federal Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and further facilities are currently not planned
The experts at TEC GmbH were called in for the final obstacle in this project: they took care of the transport and the smooth installation of the stream bed simulator from Bobingen to the Federal Institute for Hydraulic Engineering in Karlsruhe.
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